Colombian Americans essay

Colombians are not as numerous as Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cuban Americans. Nevertheless, the number of Colombians in theUSsteadily grows due to the immigration which is basically provoked by economic reasons. As a rule, Colombians moved to theUSin search of better life and larger economic opportunities though in theUSthey are mainly employed in semi- or low-qualified jobs. As a result, the socio-economic status of Colombians is very low and there is practically no middle class, unlike other three groups discussed above. Basically, it is the consequence of the low educational and professional level and lack of language skills.

Since Colombian immigration is relatively low, compared to other Latin American groups, i.e. Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans, they have poor language skills and, therefore, are predominantly Spanish-speaking that naturally creates problems in their integration in socio-economic and political life of the country. This is why they still remain politically underrepresented, even more than the three other groups of Latin Americans that have been just discussed.

At the same time, Colombians also have strong religious beliefs as Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans and family traditions which are closely intertwined with Christian ethics and morals. In this respect, they resemble other Latin American ethnic groups.

Conclusion

Thus, in conclusion, it is possible to say that Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Colombians, and partially Cubans immigrated to theUSbecause of economic reasons, though the latter also had serious political reasons to leave their native country. The socio-economic position of these Latin American ethnic groups is basically low, though Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans have already started to create the middle class that naturally leads to their growing representation in the political life of their regions though on the federal level their representation is still low.

As for their culture, they have traditionally strong Catholic background that affects their culture, including family values and traditions. At the same time, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans may be characterized as bilingual groups where younger generations tends to prefer English, while Colombians are still predominantly Spanish-speaking.